I'm bulding a gun for a guy chambered in the 338 RUM. I'm putting the Hollan quick discharge muzzle brake on it. I've used this brake on 308s, 30-06, & 223, but never on something this size. I'm wondering how well this will tame down this caliber. Anyone used this brake and caliber?

__________________"Fast is Fine but accuracy is final.".....Wyatt Earp.

Dear Builder:
I do not like muzzle brakes! If the rifle has a recoil you cannot (or your customer) stand then use a smaller caliber or a heavier rifle!

Heavens! We are so overpowered in this country it's outlandish.
If we lived in the Mesozoic era, any, and all, dinosaurs could be killed with a 54 caliber Hawken percussion muzzle-loader and a patched round ball!

You must have read the same article I did about Greenland's native hunters taking polar bears with .223 ball ammo. They just sneak up and place the shot in the right place in the back of the head. They don't want to waste an ounce of anything edible or useful.

Lazy D,

I don't know how that particular brake will do for that chambering? The only brake I've got personal experience with came on a 30-06 A-bolt I bought years ago, and the only reason I got that one was curiosity about how well its micrometer adjustment would really tune the barrel to group particular loads? It actually seems to work in that regard. People on either side of your position on the line complain about the muzzle blast, but of course recoil isn't really a problem with or without it.

The idea of a fixed brake usually causes me to have Harry's reaction. Professional hunters groan when tyros show up in Africa with a 460 Weatherby they need sighted-in because they've never fired it. (Harry, can you believe someone would drop 20-50K$ on a Safari and go without even knowing whether they could use their equipment? Apparently they do. There may really be such a thing as having too much money, after all.) On the other hand, having been privileged in the past to visit Jeff Cooper's armory and hold and snap the trigger on "Baby", his .460 G&A, and heard from him how it corrected the failure of another competent hunter's .375 H&H to stop a buffalo, I am not convinced there is never a reason for a truly heavy gun. It is just adding the weight of a muzzle brake seems to me contrary to Cooper's concepts of "handiness" and speedy target acquisition in snap shooting.

Nonetheless, I took a look at Holland's web site, and that gave me a different perspective on this particular gadget. The appeal to me is not recoil relief, but Holland's claim to stop muzzle rise so thoroughly you can see your shot kick up dust when sighting-in or see its immediate effect on game. That might prove useful. The side ports are huge, so you won't have a problem venting a large gas volume the way a round-hole brake like my Browning tuner would have. Based on that, I'd say it's worth a try for curiosity's sake, provided it can be undone if it turns out the weight is a nuisance. You should call and speak to Holland and get their two-cents-worth and answers to any technical concerns? (541) 439-5155. I'd particularly inquire whether they can guarantee such complete vertical muzzle rise suppression with what you are chambering? Without that, I would advise the client with bursitis to get a Past recoil shield and keep his muzzle light and pointable for surprise encounters with dangerous game.

Harry I agree with you in that if one can handle the recoil get a smaller gun. But, in this case it is not so much to make the gun less painful as to allow for faster follow up shots. The end is a result of recoil reduction but the goal it for faster shots. This particular gun will be used by an Army sniper. The performance is similar to the 338 Lapua. With a 300 gr Sierra matchking (BC .768) at 2750 fps (at the muzzle) it has 5036 ft/lbs of energy. At 1 mile it is still 1129 fps. and 849 ft/lbs of energy. I've never shot past 800 yrds, but he regularly shoots over 1000 yrd. It's a pretty awesome round.

Most of the ones I put on are not going to be shot past 200 yrds. I've done several for LE snipers that may have to make a fast follow up shot.

I also disagree with you. I have had folks that come to me with their hunting rifle wanting a brake installed. They want to shoot a rifle that they feel confident it has the ability to make a clean kill. But, they have an injury that makes it difficult to shoot a heavy caliber. In this case I would recommend it.

They are loud:barf: but they work.

I guess in the case of Dinosaurs and a hawkins a fast follow up would be more stress related and not recoil.

__________________"Fast is Fine but accuracy is final.".....Wyatt Earp.

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